**Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Won’t Attend Possible Talks in Istanbul**
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, will not be part of the potential Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled for May 15 in Istanbul. This information comes from a Russian media outlet called Kommersant, which spoke to unnamed sources.
Just yesterday, other reports suggested that Lavrov and Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in these talks. But now it seems that Lavrov won’t be there after all. The Kremlin hasn’t said anything about this change yet, so we’re not entirely sure what’s going on.
**The Background**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already confirmed he will attend the talks in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to be there and could travel with Zelensky if Putin agrees to join in. As of now, we don’t know for sure whether Putin will show up.
There’s been no official word from Moscow about who exactly will represent Russia at these talks. One Russian lawmaker said the details might be announced later today, though.
**International Interest**
The United States has also confirmed that they’ll have representatives present at the talks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials will attend. However, President Donald Trump’s involvement is uncertain. Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don’t expect him to show up, it’s not ruled out completely.
For those who might remember, Zelensky and Putin last met in person back in December 2019 during a Normandy Format summit in Paris. Since then, there haven’t been any direct talks between the two leaders.
**Commentary**
It looks like we’re waiting for some clarification from Moscow regarding their delegation’s composition. For now, though, it seems that Russia won’t have one of its top diplomats present at these crucial negotiations.
This development raises questions about what exactly Russia is trying to achieve here. With Lavrov not attending, it might be a sign that they don’t think direct talks will bring significant progress.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Turkey seem to be taking the lead in organizing this meeting. The international community’s interest in these talks suggests that everyone hopes for some kind of resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Stay tuned as more information becomes available.
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